Back in the Day
by WhisperedMuse
Summary: They were all just children. Their lives torn apart by war. When Jack, Sayid, Sawyer and Ana get evacuated to Kate's village, their lives drastically change. AU teenfic. Full coupling list inside.


Welcome one and all to my new fic. This is quite different to anything I've written before so I'm hoping I'll be able to make it good. It's a period thing set back in World war two. It might sound like England because of the evacuation but I can't help that. I am English and I haven't learned about America in that time yet so it'll have to be the English version I'm afraid. Hopefully that won't put too many people off. I just want to know if it's worth continuing on with, so please guys, can you review and tell me?

I would like to say there may be some mentions to racist thoughts in this story, because I created a couple of very racist characters. They will only make brief appearances. I kept their influence on the story to a minimum, because although I am not myself racist, back in war time quite a few people were. I couldn't write a story from the period in time without including a reference to racism. I didn't like writing it, but I felt it was needed. I just hope I'm not going to offend anyone. I'm sorry if I do because this was not my intention.

Disclaimer—You know the drill. I don't own lost.

* * *

Smoke filled the old platform quickly as the steam engine pulled into the station. The engine itself was almost invisible, and not just because of the smoke. The platform was busy, throngs of people covered every square inch of its surface—God help anybody if they dropped anything. Today was evacuation day, again. It happened regularly, at least once every two days. People got the call saying they had to evacuate their children to the country, ripping families apart. The day after they had to be ready to board the train. Unfortunately for Jack Shepard, he got the call yesterday. 

He stared out at the group of people on the platform, every kid, every parent. There was a family to his right, two boys and a girl. The oldest kid, the boy, couldn't have been more than seven years old. They were all crying, all three of them. Their parents were trying desperately hard to comfort them, tell them it would be alright; that they'd see each other again. Jack wished his parents would do that to him. But he knew they wouldn't; he would just have to pretend he was brave for his mother's sake and hold it together so his father didn't think he was weak. He hated it, the tension he felt every time he had to answer one of his father's questions; though, this hate didn't mean he wanted to leave. He just wanted to feel normal, to feel loved.

Jack fiddled with the gas mask that hung loosely around his neck, getting the chord it hung by tangled even more than it was already. This was it, the train was here; there was no delaying it now. His mother stood in front of him, handkerchief in one hand, smiling weakly at him. She bent down, kissing him on the cheek.

"Goodbye Jack, don't forget to write." How more detached could she behave? Jack thought. I'm her son, not a work colleague. Jack felt a strong hand on his shoulder. His father stood there, face set in a slight frown.

"Bye son, behave for whoever looks after you. Be grateful someone will take you in." Jack nodded up at his father, just to keep him happy. That's the way Jack; show him how good of a faker you really are. Don't show him how you're feeling. He fought his way through the crowds on the platform and opened the nearest carriage door he could get to. Walking through the corridors of the train, he found one of a few empty compartments walked inside.

The compartment itself was extremely quiet; there were a couple of racks above the seats for bags. Jack couldn't see much from the window, the steam from the front of the train was travelling in huge wisps past the glass. He sat down next to the cold window, staring down at his hands that were clasped together in his lap. Shifting his gaze slightly, something caught his eye. The paper tag that had hung nicely around his neck since that morning. 'Jack Shepard, aged 15' No address, just him. His hollow identity, the minor details that made him who he was. The only things that were fixed. _Nothing's fixed forever Jack. _Nothing was fixed forever, but for now, it was all he had to remind him of home.

* * *

The sliding door to the compartment opened and there stood a rather shy looking boy. He carried a small suitcase in one hand and a small book in the other. Looking at his name card, Jack could clearly see the name 'Charles' written on it. The boy shuffled around in the doorway.

"Can I…erm…there's nowhere else free…" He stuttered, looking at the floor the whole time; clearly quiet overwhelmed by everything. Jack smiled at him.

"Sure, come on in. I'm Jack." He said, holding out his hand.

"Charlie." The other boy replied, as he perched on the opposite seat to Jack. Charlie hadn't been in the compartment all that long before the doors opened once again. This time, a tall Latino girl stood in the doorway, smiling at the boys by the window.

"Sorry, but do you mind if we come and sit? This is the only free compartment on this damn train." She laughed to herself. Jack knew all too well what his father would say to her. He was completely against anyone of a different race to himself sharing the same train, let alone the same compartment. Jack however, felt differently. He looked at Charlie, who shrugged and moved to sit next to Jack. Jack smiled back at the girl.

"Course, the more the merrier. You said we, how many more are there out there?" He asked.

"Oh, only one more. The ass out here with me wanted me to do the talking." She replied as she started walking into the compartment. Charlie gasped at her language; clearly he hadn't heard such strong words used before. Jack chuckled to himself at his new-found friend's reaction. The girl sat in Charlie's newly vacated seat next to the window, facing the other two boys. She then realised there was still an empty seat next to her.

"Come on _James_; get your ass in here!" She rolled her eyes in frustration. A rather scruffy-looking boy came into the compartment. He was older than her, Jack guessed, and probably quite immature for his age. He flopped down in the seat next to the girl, glaring at her.

"How many times to I have to tell you chica, my name's Sawyer!" She laughed at him.

"Whatever you say lover boy." She shifted her gaze from his face to the window, a smirk on her face. A harsh whistle sounded from outside and the train slowly began to inch forward. Jack saw the girl sigh as she watched the station fade gradually into the distance.

"So, this is it." He breathed out, barely loud enough to be heard. Brightening up, he said. "I'm Jack, by the way, and this is Charlie." Aiming his introduction at the two kids who had entered only minutes before, pointing quickly at Charlie when appropriate. The sandy-haired boy looked towards the girl; seeing her distant expression, he turned back to Jack.

"I'm Ja-Sawyer; and this is Ana-Lucia, just call her Ana." Jack nodded, turning to gaze out of the window. Out of the corner of his eye, Sawyer saw a lone tear run down Ana's cheek. In one of his few moments of tenderness, he put his hand on hers, giving her a small inquisitive smile; showing off his dimples to the world.

"Chica?" He questioned. She turned to look at him. The mere sight of his dimples caused a soft laugh to escape her lips. Sawyer saw the unshed tears glistening in her rich brown eyes, making them twinkle in the daylight. His face grew even more questioning.

"What? What's so funny huh?" Ana shrugged, the lightness of the moment starting to decline. She looked down at the worn carpet on the floor of the carriage. "Do you mind tellin' me what's botherin' you then, sweet cheeks?" He asked softly, entranced still by her beautiful eyes. There was silence for a short time, the only sound being the wheels of the train clicking repeatedly over the tracks. Finally, she spoke.

"Will we still be together, you know, when we get to wherever we end up?" She looked up at Sawyer, searching for reassurance.

"You can bet your pretty little head on it sugar, coz I ain't leavin' without you." Ana smiled, leaning back into Sawyer's chest.

"I'm not betting anything on you, Cowboy." She retorted, a smirk fixed fast on her face.

A couple of hours had passed since the four teenagers had boarded the train, leaving behind all their family. Picturesque images of meadows and woods flew by their windows at lightening speed. Jack turned away from the window to watch everyone else in the compartment. Ana-Lucia had fallen asleep on Sawyer, who was just sat, staring at nothing in particular. Charlie, it seemed, was reading something, Jack couldn't see exactly what.

"Charlie?" The other boy looked up at him. "What are you reading?" Charlie looked down at his book, and then up at Jack, grinning.

"It's a music book, full of songs. It was a birthday present, so I could play the piano at home." Jack nodded.

"Do you think whoever you stay with will have one? A piano, I mean." He questioned. Charlie shrugged.

"I don't know, but if there isn't, I can still read it and remember can't I?" He said, looking longingly at the leather cover of the book in his hands. Jack quickly turned to the window as the train started to slow down, he saw a station looming up into the distance. It was a lot smaller than the one they had left from. Surely this wouldn't hold all the children? Their compartment door opened and a tall man stood in the doorway, He wore a smart suit of navy blue, with a conductor's hat to match. He had a bushy moustache, which covered the whole of his top lip in a thick blanket of hair.

"You four, come on, this is your stop." Jack and Charlie shared a look whilst Sawyer woke Ana. They all stood, walking out of the nearest door, clutching their bags. Suddenly they realised, they were the only four that were told to get off, how small was the town anyway? A middle-aged woman started to make her way over to them, she wore a grave expression. It was almost certain that she took herself seriously; the way she was holding herself was one of the signs. She walked upright, eyes set forward. If it didn't look so weird, someone could have found it very intimidating.

"Are you the four from London?" She barked, looking at the four children in turn. She sighed as her gaze rested on Ana. "Another one! Bernard is going to love me. Why can't the trash stay in London?" She asked, as though it was the most obvious thing in the world to say. Jack and Charlie were horrified. How could someone just single out Ana because she was different to them? It wasn't right. "Let's get a move on." She marched off, nose high in the air, hands balled in fists by her side. The group followed slowly behind her, hoping whoever they ended up with was nothing like her.

After a couple of minutes walking, the group were led through a small rural village. All the gardens in it had low walls, with pretty flowers bordering them. There were very few cars; Jack found the fresh air quite strange. When you've stayed in London your whole life, being suffocated by smoke, decontaminated air was a god-send. Their 'tour guide' finally stopped outside one of the biggest houses in the village, and walked up the path. She rapped sharply on the door three times before standing back and waiting for it to open. The four teenagers stood quite close together; Jack in the front, Charlie standing nervously behind him, Sawyer and Ana standing at the back. Ana looked more depressed than ever, she kept her eyes glued to the gravel path. The door to the cottage opened and stood there was an elderly man, in a white shirt and dungarees; he looked like he'd been working in the garden. He looked to the woman who knocked on his door, and then behind her to the children. His face instantly lit up.

"Cynthia, I see you've brought our children for us. Thank you very much!" The woman, now known as Cynthia, looked at the man.

"Yes I have Bernard. Unfortunately, you have another one, like…like, Stanley was it?"

"Sayid" Bernard filled in.

"Well yes." Cynthia replied shortly. "Him." She went to leave, turning back at the last second. "Don't come running to me if she causes you trouble!" She pointed sharply to Ana, before walking briskly back down the road. Bernard shook his head, before opening the door wider, smiling.

"Come on in kids, don't just stand there!" He grinned as Jack led the way into the hall of the cottage. The group stood in a line along the wall, looking to Bernard as he shut the door. "Look, I know this is hard for all of you, coming here away from your families. But I want you to know that my wife and I will try our hardest to make you feel welcome in our home." Unexpectedly, Ana stepped forward. Looking at Bernard sadly.

"I'm sorry, if you don't want me here because of…what I look like…then I'll leave." Bernard's jaw dropped.

"Oh gosh, no dear. We'd love to have you here. I know how hard it must be for you, my wife feels exactly the same sometimes I assure you." He smiled warmly at her. She grinned back, walking towards Sawyer, who grasped her hand in support. Just then, a woman walked into the room, she was quite large with black curly hair and dark skin. They all presumed this was Bernard's wife.

"Ah!" She said warmly. "I think that just solved the problem of the room sharing. I hope you don't mind, but it looks to me as though you two are quite close; am I right?" She asked Sawyer and Ana; they nodded. "Do you two mind sharing a room?" When Ana and Sawyer shook their heads, the woman smiled to herself. "That's great. I'm Rose, by the way. There's someone else you will have to meet, excuse him if he's a little distant right now, he just got back from a long trip." She walked to the stairs beside Jack and called up them. "Sayid, honey! They're here!" A faint thumping could be heard above them and soon enough, a tall, Arab boy emerged from the top of the stairs. He smiled at them all in turn and went to stand beside Rose.

"Shouldn't we go into the living room? There's more room to introduce ourselves there." The boy pointed out. Bernard nodded and turned to his right, opening a door. They all went inside. Once they had all managed to find seats, Sayid began to speak. "Well, you already know who we are, so why don't we get to know you guys a bit. I am sure we'll get along" He grinned, hoping to make everyone feel more at home. To break the ice, Jack spoke for the first time.

"Well, I'm Jack; I'm fifteen, that's all I can really say right now…" He trailed off. Sayid nodded.

"I am fifteen also. Who else have we got?" He asked.

"I'm Charlie."

"Ana-Lucia, Ana."

"Sawyer." Ana hit him in the stomach. "Okay, jeez. James, people _call_ me Sawyer." He turned to Ana. "Happy now?" She nodded.

"Ecstatic." The conversation opened up from there, everyone talking about where they came from. Rose and Bernard were happily discussing their childhood with the teenagers, when the doorbell rang.

"I'll go." Bernard volunteered. He walked out to the front door, opening it. From the other room, the group could hear muffled voices.

"Hey Bernard, is Sayid in?"

"Hello Kate, come on in, he's through in the living room, with our house guests."

"Oh, I'm sorry I totally forgot, do you want me to come back later?" They heard Bernard chuckle.

"No! Come on through, he'll be glad of a friend."

"I'm just glad I didn't bring Shannon, he wouldn't get any peace if she was here!" The girl laughed and the door opened. The group saw Sayid stand and make his way over to the brunette standing in the doorframe. The pair smiled widely and they embraced, the brunette having to stand on tip-toe to get high enough to reach.

"Hey." She said softly. "How are you?"

"Fine, thank you." Sayid replied. They pulled away, the girl still grinning.

"How was your trip?" She asked, cocking her head slightly to the side. He smiled modestly at her.

"It was good." He took her arm, leading her fully into the room. Turning her to face the others for the first time. She gasped.

"Now I'm really glad I didn't bring Shannon…" She trailed off, looking at the other teenagers in turn. Ana, who now felt quite at home, spoke up.

"What's that supposed to mean…?" She asked, not sure what the girl meant by this statement.

"Oh! Nothing bad, promise. It's just she's a bit…energetic. She's a bit much to handle, especially if you're not used to her, or if you've just come back from a long trip…" She smiled at Sayid. "Oh, I'm so rude! I'm Kate." She added quickly before sitting down on the nearest chair; Sayid quickly followed suit. He introduced the other four teenagers to his friend, before he engaged Kate in some more conversation. Jack watched the pair in awe. Were they going out? It looked like it, but they weren't all over each other as he'd expect. If he'd just got back from some 'long trip' wouldn't she want him to herself? He couldn't blame Sayid though; Kate was damn beautiful. He was snapped out of his daze by something in their conversation. He listened in carefully, blocking out Sawyer and Ana's conversation about shelters—or what ever it was they were talking about.

"So how's Tom?" Sayid asked.

"He's alright I think. He's gone off on a trip with his dad, before he goes back to the army. He said that this time his dad's stationed somewhere here, unlike my dad; so at least he's able to come home for Christmas this year. I can't wait for him to get back from the trip; he left a couple of days after you; so he'll be back for Wednesday hopefully. Which reminds me…Rose?" The woman turned away from talking to Charlie.

"Yes dear?"

"Are you still alright to have us here on Wednesday? Or do you want us to put a hold on it?" Kate asked. Rose looked shocked.

"No! Kate, you organised this weeks ago. To pull the group back together remember? Whether there's enough room in my living room or not honey, you can still come." She assured her, smiling. Kate's eyes lit up.

"Ok, idea. If it's nice out, we could use the garden instead; there's more room. That way, everyone can come and I won't have to leave out people." Sayid and Rose both agreed that it was a good idea. Jack wondered who Tom was…Kate certainly seemed fond of him. Suddenly Kate stood up and made for the door.

"Damn! Sorry Rose, I've got to go, I'm gonna be late. It'll be the third time this week, I can't risk that again." She opened the front door and shouted back. "See you Wednesday everyone!" Jack didn't have a clue why she left in such a hurry, but he was sure that whatever was happening on Wednesday would be some experience he would not forget.

* * *

So, that's the first chapter written. I'll say in advance that all my other fics will take priority over this one, so don't expect any updates for a while. But I will be updating this, it wont be just left or be forgotten about. 

I'm putting loads of ships in this, more than I've ever put in any of my stories before. There will be Jate, Sana, Chaire, Shayid, Jun, Hubby, Des/Penny, also Jack/Sarah, Kate/Tom and Claire/Thomas. Might be some Juliet/Ben and Danny/Colleen if I decide to put the others in the story.

Thanks to you all for reading; if you could just drop me a review I would be very grateful. Concrit or ideas etc. I'd love to hear from you all ;)

Kate x


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